Cumberland County High School’s top-seeded varsity boys basketball team joined the great squads in school history in front of its home crowd Saturday night, combining outstanding offensive and defensive performances to clinch the Region 1B championship with a 72-47 victory over No. 2 Riverheads High School.

This is the sixth regional title earned by the Dukes and their first since 1991.

Tyrone Mosby, Cumberland’s head coach, said the victory “means a lot to me being that the last time we had won the region, I actually played (for the Dukes). So it means a lot. That’s 27 years ago, so to be able to do it on our home court in a new facility, I couldn’t ask for anything better.”

In the Virginia High School League Class 1 state tournament Saturday at 7 p.m., the Dukes (15-8) will face Region 1A runner-up Northumberland High School at the Region B area site, which is Prince Edward County High School.

“I’m just happy,” Cumberland senior forward Darius Kyle said with a big smile after the game. “That’s it. I’m just happy.”

The Dukes led 13-7 after the first quarter, 35-19 at halftime and 52-29 after three quarters.

Mosby noted that the key to victory was his team’s defense — its defensive rotation and trapping — and also its unity.

“Because we knew that at some point in time, they’re going to make a run,” he said, “so we’ve just got to stick together, trust each other and at some point in time, we’re going to make our own run to get back where we were.”

From the end of the third quarter and continuing into the fourth, Riverheads, indeed, went on a 15-0 run to cut Cumberland’s lead to 10 points, 52-42.

But then the Dukes’ defensive effort and unity was rewarded. Kyle, an All- James River District first-team selection, scored eight consecutive points, hitting a three-pointer, an inside basket and three free throws. Junior guard Jonathan Weaver hit a three-pointer and junior center Christian Jackson knocked down two at the line during a 13-1 run that made the score 65-43 with just less than four minutes to play.

Kyle finished the game with a team-high 20 points.

“He’s definitely my player of the year,” Mosby said. “He’s played every position on the floor for us, all game long, every game. So, I know that if anybody’s going to do it, he can do it.”

Jackson added 12 points.

The coach praised Jackson for exceptional play during the tournament that helped put Cumberland in the position to win the title. He also highlighted junior point guard Noah Bland for running the offense Saturday and he commended junior forward Jalen Foster, who finished with 11 points.

“Jalen Foster comes off the bench and gives us a spark just about every game,” Mosby said. “I know he probably could be a starter, but we need somebody coming off the bench that’s definitely going to replace one of the starters when they come out.”

Senior forward Ja’Quan Brown had nine points.

Cumberland produced a surprising amount of offense from three-point range, draining 11 shots from beyond the arc.

“The only three-pointers I was concerned about is basically trying to stop (the Gladiators) from shooting threes, because they’re a perimeter shooting team,” Mosby said. “So, us knocking down threes and matching their threes, oh, that’s a plus. But we do have the players that are capable of knocking them down.”

Kyle and Foster each hit three treys, and contributing one apiece were Brown, Weaver and junior guards Bland, Mark Patterson Jr. and Ziahir Berry.

“Coach tells us if we’re open, ‘Shoot the ball,’” Kyle said. “‘If you feel confidence in your shot, knock ‘em down.’ So she shot them.”

Cumberland was dominant throughout the Region 1B tournament, winning its three games by an average of 28 points. The host No. 1 Dukes defeated No. 8 Rappahannock County High School 65-27 in the quarterfinals Tuesday and topped No. 5 William Campbell High School 72-51 in the semifinals Thursday.

Celebrating after Saturday’s game, Jackson said, “I’d like to thank God for giving us this talent for me and my team to work together. We play hard. It feels so good.”